UIGHUR PEOPLE UNDER DANGER IN CHINA

The assimilation policy that has applied systematically since 1949 in the Eastern Turkestan in the northwestern China that has rich oil and mineral resources is tried to be legitimated after September 11 in the US. Uighur is repressed by a pretext of anti-terror struggle. All of Uighur people are seen as a potential threat.

The Eastern Turkestani people who cannot use their own resources live under a tragic poverty which has lower standards than minimum food and clothing standards and give the struggle to survive.

More than one million three thousand people who suffered from various illnesses in the Eastern Turkestan as of May 2005 cannot obtain care facilities because of transportation problems. Particularly % 20 of children between 8-12 years old who live in poor villages in south and east regions are found out to appear the symptoms of a kind of “thyroidal illness". Local medical specialists said that the illness is appeared in 35 districts and it is considered to be taken measures. According to various sources, the main reason of the high incidence in this illness is that the region is far away from the sea. However Uighur argued that people cannot save themselves from this kind of illnesses because of so many atomic tests in the region.
On the other hand Uighur have not been permitted to work in state institutions and at strategic positions, only some people who are believed to be loyal to the Government are provided to employ in some public services. However these people are always remained under a firm control and supervision and are fired immediately and given heavy punishments if it is heard any negative intelligence against them.

It is made intense activities for following up the communications of Uighur in the Eastern Turkestan and every kind of communications and Internet facilities have remained under control. In addition local religious officials are arrested by arguing various excuses and the mosques where they worked are closed for praying for several months.

An abortion policy is implemented with repression and force for so many years with the aim of remaining the population of Uighur in the Eastern Turkestan under control. The Eastern Uighur who live at the city center in the Eastern Turkestan are granted to the right of having only two children and the women who are determined to secretly become pregnant for their third child are forced to abortion. Within this context, officials of People’s Republic of China who go to district in which Uighur is live with the vehicles which are prepared as ambulance bring women who are determined to become pregnant for their third child to ambulances and these women are aborted by these officials without respecting the pregnancy duration. Some Uighur women died after the forced abortion which was made in unhealthiness place and with primitive methods and equipment.

A special immigration policy began to be implemented as of 2005 in order to increase the number of people in Chinese origin in the Eastern Turkestan. Within this context, those people who live in other regions in China and involved to various ordinary crimes and are dug addicted are sent to the Eastern Turkestan.

These people, all of them are Chinese origin, are allocated a share in the most fertile lands in the Eastern Turkestan and are permitted to farm in these lands. In this way the lands at the hand of Uighur is divided and they are allocated for these people. Those people who wear a uniform on which there is no grade and carry a pistol can use directly the arms against Uighur who resisted them. They are migrated from the other regions of China and after they farm in these lands which are allocated for them for around three years and take revenue from these lands, they will obtain a house that belongs to them and have a job and settled in the Eastern Turkestan and transfer their uniforms to newcomers.


The imbalances in social structure in the Eastern Turkestan reflect in all fields. The rate of Chinese who work at plants and in bureaus is 80 %. For example only 15 workers come from the Eastern Turkistan out of 450 workers who work in a wool weaving plant in Urumchi. Chinese constitute the majority of the staff in tourist’s hotels. While Chinese work at qualified positions, local people work at the least qualified jobs.

Almost all the crop harvested by the Eastern Turkestani people is forced to buy at very low prices and they are sent to China.
Restrictions are applied to travel of Uighur. People in villages cannot go to cities and people in the cities cannot go to villages without visa. The travels are subject to permission.

Uighur who live in cities and villages are given the different identity cards. Villagers are banned to live in cities. They must take visa in order to live in a city. There is no this kind of restriction for Chinese people.

Uighur is deprived of using the medical institutions. Although 95 % of Chinese are available the free health care, the only 12 % of Uighur can use this facility.

The repression on Uighur might gain only a temporary success to take the expression of ethnic identity under control; however they might incite the hatred against Chinese people among Uighur in the long term and fuel deeper struggles in the future.

The Eastern Turkestan issue must not only be seen as a problem of Uighur and it must be embraced by those people who have consciousness and the problem must be solved by the sound policies.
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Edited by Korash Atahan